President Muhammad Buhari has provided VIP team shelter for the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, after the previous teams’ shelters were destroyed by angry fans following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup against Ghana.
Receiving the items which are first of the kind in the country according to the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, the permanent secretary, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, confirmed that they are FIFA designed and approved. The Trumpet Gathered
Abubakar in his speech, commended President Buhari for the laudable contribution towards giving a facelift to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium and sports in general, adding that it would not have been possible without his commitment to sports development, especially for the youths.
“All these achievements would not have been possible if there was no commitment from President Muhammadu Buhari for the development of sports infrastructure for our sportsmen and women who are mostly youth,” he
noted.
Furthermore, the permanent secretary applauded the initiative of the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare in forming a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Alhaji Aliko Dangote that resulted in the rehabilitation of the Abuja Stadium.
He continued: “We must also acknowledge the foresight of the Minister, Sunday Dare, in drawing up laudable initiatives like the ‘adopt a pitch programme’ which led to the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with Alhaji Aliko Dangote for the rehabilitation of this national edifice that had been abandoned for over a decade.”
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Also speaking, ex-Super Eagles player Waheed Akanni commended the strides achieved by Dare in giving a facelift to national assets but appealed that the same gestures should be extended to other sports stadia across the country.
Akanni, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Match International, officially handed over the team shelter to the sports ministry on Thursday.
From the specification, the team shelter whose colour is green and white to reflect the nationality, comprises a headrest, backrest, fully padded with fire-resistant polyurethane foam with double density, and a polyurethane armrest with an integrated cup-holder.
Totally dismountable with a 225cm×180cm measurement, it is made of galvanised steel, aluminium footrest surface, hard capacity, hard-nylon pivoting wheels on both sides, and contains 54 seats in all to accommodate players, officials and referees.
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